Common Blue vs European Ground Squirrel

Polyommatus icarus compared with Spermophilus citellus

Key Differences

• Common Blue is Least Concern while European Ground Squirrel is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Blue	European Ground Squirrel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Lycaenidae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Polyommatus	Spermophilus
Species	Polyommatus icarus	Spermophilus citellus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Blue and European Ground Squirrel share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Blue

LC — Least Concern

European Ground Squirrel

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Blue	European Ground Squirrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Blue

Habitat

Inhabits Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus), Europe (40 countries), and North America (United States).

European Ground Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Ukraine. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Blue

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇦 Ukraine